Content warning: This film features elements of sexual abuse. The coming-of-age stories that frequently grace movie screens are those of teen rebellion, unrequited love, and summer adventures. Deniz Ergüven’s Oscar-nominated film Mustang contains qualities of all of these aspects, but adds nuanced maturity and an overwhelmingly poignant storyline. At the[Read More…]
Tag: film review
Religiosity of a new ilk: The Coen brothers praise 1950s Hollywood in Hail, Caesar!
It makes sense for directors to pay homage to their industry as a whole. An entertaining romp through the Hollywood of the 1950s, Hail, Caesar! is the Coen brothers’ latest triumph, an in depth study of a single man, Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a studio fixer, who works tirelessly to[Read More…]
Survival, grief, revenge: Leonardo DiCaprio suffers with skill in The Revenant
Based on the true story of 19th century frontiersman Hugh Glass who, after being mauled by a bear, was left by his hunting companion to die in the wilderness, Alejandra Gonzalez Iñárritu’s The Revenant is a haunting story of survival, grief and revenge. The hero of The Revenant, portrayed by Leonardo[Read More…]
Flashback: Belle de Jour (1967)
Belle de Jour is Luis Bunuel’s most recognizable and commercially successful film, praised for its status as an erotic masterpiece despite demonstrating virtually no sexual explicitness. Friends with both Salvador Dali and André Breton, Bunuel was a pioneer of surrealist cinema and enjoyed using the medium of film over his[Read More…]
The 5th Wave more one singular wave of disappointment
Stop me if this sounds familiar: In a post-apocalyptic nation, one spunky hero sparks a trilogy-long revolution against a corrupt government, as the fate of the world rests upon their shoulders. The 5th Wave proves to be a lacklustre addition to the current trend of young-adult (YA), dystopian thrillers, which includes[Read More…]
Tarantino adds some sauce to the classic spaghetti western in “The Hateful Eight”
When you walk into a Quentin Tarantino film, you can expect three things: Lots of blood, an intricately layered storyline, and Samuel L. Jackson. If you’ve seen The Hateful Eight, you’ll recognize that Tarantino meets those expectations, and then quickly surpasses them. Granted, this movie is not for everyone. It[Read More…]
Flashback: The Swimmer (1968)
The Swimmer opens by tracking Neddy Merrill (Burt Lancaster) in his tight swim trunks as he cuts through the wilderness into his neighbours’ yard and gracefully takes a dive into their pool. Slicing through the water with powerful breaststrokes, Merrill surfaces to receive a glass of gin. A midsummer sun beams,[Read More…]
Flashback: Barfly (1987)
Deemed a “laureate of American lowlife” by Time in 1986, Charles Bukowski was a 20th century poet, novelist, and working-class alcoholic. His deadpan confessional style, glorification of alcohol, and misanthropic view of humanity has appealed to a large cult readership over the years. In 1987, unknown to most, Bukowski entered the[Read More…]
Film Review: Bonjour Hi
Bonjour Hi is a multi-director film created by Sean Lee, Giuliana Mazzetta, Ben Koring, Christina Wood, and Ryan MacDowell. The movie, which was co-produced with TVM: Student Television at McGill, consists of three short film with four storylines. One of the producers, Jack Johnson, noted that the team hoped to create[Read More…]
Flashback: A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
A Woman Under the Influence (1974) is an impressive study of madness and conformity, serving as one of the benchmark films of American independent cinema. The film’s maverick director, John Cassavetes—best known for Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and The Dirty Dozen (1967)—often shot his films in a hand-held style known as cinema[Read More…]
